


Book 5: Identity

by AheartfullofKorrasami



Category: Avatar: Legend of Korra
Genre: F/F, F/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-02-22
Updated: 2015-03-10
Packaged: 2018-03-14 12:21:47
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 9
Words: 13,979
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3410444
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AheartfullofKorrasami/pseuds/AheartfullofKorrasami
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>My take on what Book 5 might have been</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Everything old is new again

**Author's Note:**

> The Mature warning is just a heads up that as the story progresses it's going to get a bit darker but it should end up being in a happy place by the time I'm done.

Being the Avatar needs to pay better, Korra decided. She rode on Naga’s back heading back towards the apartment that she and her girlfriend, the lovely Asami Sato, shared. Just thinking of that still made Korra smile. It had been six months since Kuvira’s final assault on Republic city, the efforts to rebuild and restore the city were going amazingly. That was in no small part thanks to all the work Asami and her had been putting in ever since they got back from the spirit world 5 months ago. Korra was happy to be able to rebuild this time, the city was her home and there’s no way she would let it suffer anymore. Of course not all the thanks in the construction could go to just her and Asami. Bolin, Opal, Mako, the Beifongs, and of course the leaders of the nations not effected by Kuvira had all played their parts as well. Tenzin and Prince Wu, no that wasn’t right she had to call him by his new title, Prime Minister Wu had been instrumental in coordinating while she and Asami had been away. 

The Avatar was still amazed how for the Earth kingdom had come in such a short time. Of course That wasn’t what it was called anymore. The United Earth States, that’s what it became after Wu dissolved the Monarchy. Somehow in all the confusion of the change and the necessary elections that were needed after they became a democracy, Wu managed to prove once again that he was actually a great leader, He managed to bring about peace in a time when everyone had thought that there would be mass in fighting and war. There were still issues but Korra had been glad to help with restoring the balance, came with the whole Avatar thing she guessed. Even now that things were winding down and seeming mostly peaceful Korra knew that she would have to be the one who would save the world should anything happen again.

Which brought her back around to the better pay thing again. She wanted to do something nice for Asami but lacked much in the way of Yuans to do those things with. Sure people would always help the Avatar when she was traveling around helping people and restoring balance, but good will didn’t buy your girlfriend presents or fancy dinners. She knew that if she asked Asami would give her as much money as she needed, but that kind of defeated the purpose of buying Asami things if it was with her money. She thought on this the rest of the way back to the apartment, making sure she got Naga all settled into the house that Asami had built for her. She loved how much Asami cared for Naga, like she had always been a part of her family. But then that’s how Asami had been with Korra too, words like loving, caring, and inviting didn’t even begin to cover the way Asami was to Korra.

Korra walked up to the apartment and went into their kitchen, she wanted to make Asami’s favorite dinner because she knew today was a particularly rough day for her, the ones where she had to meet with the president always were. Korra flipped on the radio, wanting to catch the Pro-bending match while she cooked. The Pro-bending stadium was already back in full swing, it was a good distraction for the people of Republic city to have, something that they could focus on when things might not have otherwise looked so bright. It had been at a charity match that the world had found out that Korra and Asami were together. The Fire Ferrets had gotten back together for one night only to take on all challengers in an attempt to raise money to help with the reconstruction efforts. The night had been a huge success, bringing in over a million yuans to help the city. At the end of the night the Fire Ferrets had stood undefeated and were awarded the champions belt, awarded by none other than Miss Asami Sato, who in her excitement had forgotten that the world wasn’t yet aware of their relationship and kissed Krra right there on the platform for the world to see. Looking back on it now Korra wouldn’t have wanted it any other way. 

She realized that she hadn’t really been listening to the radio when she heard her name come from a voice that wasn’t familiar to her. It was an interview of that she was sure but she wasn’t quite sure what it was about until the familliar voice of Shiro Shinobi came on and asked what the other man meant when he said that all people should have bending.

"Well Mr.Shinobi I’m a firm believer that all people have that potential with in them. It’s all to do with the natural energies inside our bodies after all. Just look at what happened after Avatar Korra opened the spirit portals, the Air nation was reborn. Avatar Aang was never a violent man who never resorted to killing to stop someone who was dangerous. Not even Fire lord Ozai, he simply took their bending away. If the Avatar has the ability to take bending away surely the new Avatar must have the power to give non benders bending." the strange voice that was speaking to Shiro finished. Korra’s mind was racing, she’d never even considered that a possibilty. Sure, she’d restored the bending of those who had it taken by Amon all those years ago, but to give bending to those who had never had t in the first place was a completely new idea. 

"Well thank you for your very interesting point of view Mr.Osamu, I’m sure you’ve given many people something to think about." Shiro thanked him. Korra could barely think, her mind was blown. How had she never thought of this? Had Aang? If only she could talk to him, get his point of view. Surely he must have thought of this as a way of rebuilding the Air nation hadn’t he? Korra couldn’t know, she cursed Vaatu for having taken that from her.

Korra finished making dinner for her and Asami just before the tall raven haired girl walked in. She could see the look on her girlfriend’s face and knew that today had been especially rough. She could see that there was a letter in Asami’s hand but thought it better to wait until Asami brought it up before asking. Asami sat down as Korra walked over to her and kissed her before setting her plate down in front of her.

"Seared elephant koi stir fry, you always know how to cheer me up." Asami looked up at her with those impossible green eyes and a weary smile. It made Korra’s heart skip a beat every single time. Korra sat down across from her girlfriend and began in on her own dinner. "So how was your day baby?" Asami asked clearly not wanting to go first. Korra indulged her. 

"It went well, for the most part. Helped out the construction workers in putting up a new row of condos, helped Lin catch a few members of the local gangs and then came home. There was something I heard on the radio I wanted to talk to you about though." Korra told her, hoping to get her input on what that Osamu guy had said.

"What is it Korra? Were the tabloids after us again? You know they’re nothing but hot air." Asami said clearly agitated by the prospect of having to go up one side of those reporters and down the other.

"No no nothing like that, you know I don’t care what they say. It was something that this guy named Osamu said. He said that I may have the power to give non-benders the ability to Bend. It’s not something that I’d ever considered, it may not have been something that any Avatar has. Not that I’ll ever be able to find that out now." Korra began with a troubled look on her face. Korra knew Asami would want to ask her questions but she needed to get it all out before that. "I know that the Avatar has the power to take bending from someone but to give it, I just don’t know. I know that if I did though it may cause more problems then it solves. Look at all the people who’ve had power that made others suffer, Giving that same kind of power to someone who would miss use it could make things worse than they had ever been before. That’s not even mentioning if the people I’d be giving those powers to would want them. I want you to be honest with me Asami, if I could give you the power to bend would you even want it?" Korra asked desperate to know. This was something that would eat at her if she didn’t get an answer. She would never hold Asami’s answer against her no matter which way she leaned.

"Korra I wouldn’t even begin to know. That’s like asking if I’d rather be a guy, it’s not something that I could ever know for sure without trying. I love you and I know that this is going to bother you so I’ll say this, look at the world as it is right now. For the most part it is at peace, a peace that you were no small part in bringing about. You’ve brought about more change in your time as the Avatar than most Avatar’s did in their entire lives. You are the best person to make this call. I can tell you that a lot of my drive has always come from the fact that I didn’t have bending, that doesn’t mean I wouldn’t have found other inspiration to do the same had I had those powers all my life." Asami’s words helped Korra relax about the problem. She knew that it wasn’t something that she would be able to figure out in one day or maybe even in her lifetime. Tenzin had always said that some problems didn’t have one right answer.

"Thank you Asami, you always know exactly what to say to calm me down. That’s enough about what’s on my mind though, what about you? How did your day go? Was Raiko as bad as ever?" Korra asked hoping to get her mind off of Osamu’s words.  
"Worse than ever. I think that he thinks that I’m after his job. It is an election year and I’ve heard that a lot of people want me to run for office. I would never want that however. Running a company is more than enough for me, I wouldn’t want to be in charge of the country too. There is one other thing though, I got this letter today, it’s from the fire nation and it’s addressed to the both of us." Asami held up the letter she’d been carrying when she walked in, the seal was unmistakably that of the Fire lord.

"What could Fire lord Izumi want with the two of us?" Korra asked unsure of what to expect. She’d only met the Fire lord a couple of times and she had never seemed overly friendly.

"I’m not sure, I haven’t read her letter yet, I wanted to wait till we were together seeing as it addressed to us both. She’s not the kind to send a letter without good reason so it must be important whatever it is." Asami said as she broke the seal on the letter. "It says that she wants us to come and meet with her and Lord Zuko. That we would be her honored guests, and that it is a matter of great importance, so much so that they can’t put what they need to discuss with us in writing." Asami read the letter over again silently before putting it down. "So much for the peace we worked so hard for." Asami looked saddened and it was all Korra could do not to leap up and wrap her arms around her girlfriend.

"Hey hey we don’t know that yet beautiful. It may not be anything to do with peace." Korra took Asami’s hand and squeezed it gently. "Whatever it might be we’ll face it together, I couldn’t ask for a better partner." Asami perked up at that, Korra saw that spark of hope that was just one in a countless list of things that Korra loved about her.

"You’re right Korra. Whatever it is we’ll face it together. I’ll let Zhu li and Varrick know that we’ll be leaving in a few days. Should we bring my head of security and his Fiance?" Asami asked with a grin. 

"Wait Fiance?! When did Bolin ask?!" Korra said looking completely bewildered.

"Well he hasn’t yet but he’s doing it tonight." Asami smiled. "Should we be the first to congratulate the happy couple?"

"I think we should." Korra smiled and grabbed Asami by the waist spinning her around. "I’d like nothing better."


	2. Welcome to the Fire Nation

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Korra, Asami, Bolin, and Opal make their way to the Fire Nation

Life would be much easier if I could just open a spirit portal whenever I needed to get somewhere, Korra decided the second day of their flight to the fire nation. She traveled almost everywhere you could in the United Earth States when she was helping to stabilize after the shift to democracy, despite this she never felt quite comfortable flying. She figured it had something to do with when her and Asami had crashed that air ship in the desert and almost got eaten by that giant sand shark thing. Even then she’d been more concerned with getting Asami out of there then herself. It was like that ever since her first time in the Tree of Time, all those memories flashing by and at the forefront of them all was Asami. Thinking about that brought a smile to Korra’s face. Of course everything that she did these days made her think of Asami. Her heart was full of her and Korra wouldn’t want it any other way.

Korra’s thoughts were interrupted by the arrival of her three traveling companions, Bolin, Opal, and of course her beautiful girlfriend. Bolin was being his usual ridiculous self, making Opal, his new fiance, grin wider than Korra had ever seen her do before. She was so happy for them, they were a perfect fit. Asami seemed to notice that Korra had clearly been bored out of her mind waiting around on the flight.

"Did you really have to metal bend all of the little toy Satomobiles that I had in the cupboard for Meelo?" Asami asked not even bothering to hide the amusement in her voice. Korra noticed that she seemed so much more at ease than she had in the days leading up to their trip. She knew that she’d been in meetings with the heads of all departments at Future Industries in case there were any problems while she was in the Fire Nation. She had ultimately decided to leave Zhu Li in charge while she was away, mostly because she was the only one at the company who could stop Varrick from going completely insane with the resources at the company.

"I needed something to do, and besides the next time we see Meelo you know he’ll be to busy challenging me to a duel for your hand." Korra and the others couldn’t help but laugh. When Korra and Asami had told all their friends when they gathered on Air temple island for their coming home party, Meelo had been the first to jump up and demand a duel for the "pretty girl’s hand" as he put it. That had taken all the nervous tension out of the evening, although Korra was sure she’d seen people slipping Lin yuans all night. 

"Well if you’re bored why don’t we go do a bit of sparring?" Bolin asked happily. "I still need to do a bit of work on my fighting in places where I can’t use my bending and if I try to take on Asami again I won’t be able to use my right arm for a week." Bolin laughed, he was always so cheerful so long as no one was in danger. 

"Sure Bo, but who says you’ll fair any better against me? She’s been teaching me too after all." Korra loved training with Asami. Being able to let loose all her pent up frustrations while doing something constructive and physical was exactly what Korra needed most days. Plus Asami being her teacher lead to some other physical benefits. Korra blushed just thinking about that and noticed Asami grin like she knew exactly what Korra was thinking. Korra made a mental note to get back at her later for that one. 

"Korra just don’t break him, I still need him to be able to walk down the isle at our wedding." Opal said, glowing,

"Don’t worry I won’t go to hard on him." Korra said as she and Bolin walked out the door. They made there way to the cargo bay, which was cleared out just for this reason. When you have the most powerful bender on the planet training on board you need lots of space, or at least that’s what Asami had said and Korra found it hard to argue. They took it slow at first, letting Bolin warm up a bit before they got too into it. They carried on for the better part of an hour, Bolin was definitely taking the worst of it but he caught Korra with a few good punches too. When they finally stopped Bolin flopped down onto a the floor and motioned for Korra to join him.

"Not bad Bo, you’re getting a lot better at this. You’re learning pretty quickly." Korra knew he appreciated it. Bo was as close to family as they could get, he was like her dorky little brother. 

"Thanks Korra but that’s not all I wanted to work on while we’re down here." Korra already knew what he was going to ask, He’d wanted to be able to metal bend for his entire life after all. Korra pulled out the chunk of meteorite that Su had given her when she had first learned to metal bend. Even now she still found that this was easier to bend than most other metals, so she kept it close just in case. "How’d you know that was what I was gonna ask about?" Bolin asked a little surprised.

"To be honest I’m a little surprised you didn’t ask me to teach you sooner. So here’s the deal I will teach you everything I can about metal bending if you’ll teach me how to Lava bend when we get back to Republic City. If I’m supposed to be the master of all four elements I should know as much about using them as I can right?" Korra asked, not expecting much of an answer. Much as she hated admitting it this new want for knowledge on all bending was brought about in large part to what that Osamu guy had said. She felt as though if she couldn’t talk about it with her past lives and benefit from their knowledge she should at least know everything there was to know about bending styles.

"Sounds fair to me, how should I start?" Bolin asked clearly wanting to dive right into this. Ever since the end of the war with Kuvira, Bolin had become a much more determined person. When Korra had suggested that Asami hire him as her chief of security it had made sense, he was technically Ex-military and he was someone both the girls knew they could trust. Bo had fit into his role at Future Industries like a glove. Before long he’d had a team of security specialists put together that made sure Asami was always protected, much to her own protest. Korra knew that it wasn’t that Asami couldn’t protect herself, she’d proven so many times that she was more than up to that task. Still it put her at ease knowing that they were protecting the most precious thing in her life. She focused on telling teaching Bolin the best way to feel for the impurities in the metal that allowed for it to be bent. They spent a half hour at it before Bolin sank to his knees in frustration.

"Gah no matter what I do I just can’t seem to get it." Bolin swung his arms angrily and much to both his and the Avatar’s surprise the chunk shot across the room, embedding its self into the far wall. Bolin sat there stunned before jumping up and down so quick Korra thought he might shake his brain loose. "I did it Korra, I finally managed to metal bend!"

"I knew you had it in you buddy. Just like Toph said, you’ve got potential." Korra was all smiles. She was about to suggest they continue practicing when Asami’s voice came over the loud speaker.

"Hey, we’re going to be landing just outside the Royal palace in about 40 minutes. You should probably both get cleaned up." Finally Korra thought, she made another mental note to look into the whole making spirit portals thing. A faster way between the Kingdoms couldn’t be a bad thing could it? Maybe she’d ask Iroh next time she was in the spirit world. The two both headed to their rooms to shower and get ready.

Korra reached the bridge just in time to see Asami land the airship perfectly. She was so good at the technical things. When she looked out the front window she noticed one thing in particular that stood out from the rest, Lord Zuko’s dragon. She turned just in time to watch him walk onto the bridge.

"Greetings Avatar Korra and of course her friends, Welcome to the Fire Nation."


	3. Family Ties

Even when you’re the Avatar it’s not everyday that you get escorted into the royal palace of the fire nation by the former fire lord. Korra was astounded by everything that she saw. It was so much larger than it had seemed from the air, she knew that if her group strayed from Lord Zuko they may not be able to find their way back out. They were lead down a long hallway that opened out into a large court yard. Korra recognized the look of it from the tales that Katara had told her of the end of the hundred years war. This was the court yard where Lord Zuko had dueled his sister, Azula, with the help of Katara. In the center was a long table, and at the head was the Fire Lord herself.  
"May I present my Daughter, Fire Lord Izumi." Lord Zuko made a sweeping gesture with one of his hands, motioning for Korra and her companions to approach. Korra made sure that everyone bowed before going closer to the table, not wanting to show any sign of disrespect.  
"Please sit, we have much to discuss and I fear not as much time as I would like." Fire Lord Izumi said, a reserved smile on her face. "My son, general Iroh will be joining us shortly but has asked we begin without him."

"Thank you for having us here, It is very beautiful." Asami said as she took the seat at the far right from the Fire lord. Korra took the seat that would allow herself to face Izumi. Allowing Opal and Bolin to take those to her left. Lord Zuko took the one to the right of his daughter.

"I’ve asked you here today because I fear that the world will soon face another threat, and I’m sorry to say that it may be from my own family." The fire lord said passing some papers to one of her guards that moved to give them to Korra. Korra’s mind was racing, unsure what to make of what the other woman had just said. Could this mean that the Fire nation was preparing to go to war with the world again? No that wasn’t possible, Izumi herself had said that she wouldn’t pull the Fire nation into another war unless it was absolutely necessary.

"I’m afraid I don’t follow my lady, what do you mean from your own family?" The guard handed Korra the papers that the fire lord had just been going over. It was clear that these were reports from spies that she had stationed all over the world. The fact that she had spies all over didn’t really surprise Korra, she was to used to the political dealings of the nations at this point. What troubled Korra was the subject of the reports. Non-benders from all over the world had been going missing without any trace. This sent red flags straight through Korra’s brain, she moved a little closer to Asami, instinctively wanting to keep the girl she loved safe from harm.

"I feel my lord father may be better able to explain than I am." izumi nodded at lord Zuko who had seemed lost in thought but a moment ago.

"As you all probably know I am the oldest child of the former Fire lord, Ozai. You also probably know that I had a sister who’s name was Azula. Azula was a child protege and probably one of the most powerful Fire benders of her time, being as such she craved the praise of our father. She always strived to be the best at everything, striking out when she couldn’t be. This determination to be the best never really allowed her to develop into a person who trusted others. There was however two people who she did seem to trust, My late wife Mai, and Ty Lee who’s considered to be the first Chi blocker. Late in the war the two turned their backs on Azula, this caused something to change in my sister. She lost the only two people she considered to be her friends. When she was finally defeated by myself and Katara she was placed into an institute to help with her mental state. I visited her often hoping that I may be able to help her recover and live a normal life, however I fear that I was never truly able to get through to her. She had a large distrust of Non-benders because of Mai and Ty Lee, she thought that because they couldn’t bend they could never truly be trusted. Much to my own regret I took Azula out of the institute to help Myself and my friends search for where my mother was. In the end we found that my mother had been given a new identity by a spirit. This I feel drove Azula further into her madness, she escaped that same day. I of course searched for her, trying to recapture her so that I could help her but unfortunately I was never able to find her again. Earlier this year I received a letter that had come from Azula, she told me that she had never forgiven me but that since she felt her life was coming to a close she needed to let me know somethings. My sister eventually found love with a Fire bender who was living in the earth kingdom, they were married and had lived a happy life together. She had never told him her true name or about her real family. She also told me that she had a son whom she named for my father. It is from him we feel this threat comes." Lord Zuko finished his story looking very worn out. This was clearly a subject that he hadn’t discussed with many people. Korra knew that he must feel strongly that there was a real chance that his nephew was behind this new threat. 

"I still don’t see the connection between these abductions and your story Lord Zuko. Is there anything else you might know about him that could link him to this?" Korra asked hoping she was not pushing to far. She had an overwhelming feeling of dread that had settled in her stomach and another that gave her a suspicion that she already knew of the person they were talking about.

"The only thing the letter gave was his name. But from what our spies have been able to gather on him there is no mistaking it." The voice came from behind them but Korra knew it almost immediately. General Iroh waled over and took the seat between his mother and Bolin. "He’s been on the radio talking about Bending and the Avatar."

"Osamu." Korra and Asami both shot up. "He was on the radio recently talking about how I may be able to give bending to Non-benders in the same way Aang was able to take bending away from those who were to dangerous to have it. Its been on my mind for days now. You’re sure that he’s the one behind the abductions?" Korra asked her mind spinning. Why was it all of the foes she had to face had points that were actually reasonable to a degree? She was getting tired of people who could have been a powerful force for good in the world misusing their brilliance for evil.

"We don’t have any concrete evidence that he’s connected to the group that are committing the crimes but their messages do seem rather similar." Iroh said, obviously worried about what the implications may mean for his family. The world remembered the war all to well, it had driven everything to the edge of total chaos.

"I’ve met him." Bolin said suddenly looking much more serious than usual. Everyone’s eyes were on him and Korra knew he could feel it. "He was one of the people who applied to be a part of the security team I put together at future industries. He was an exceptional bender, but that’s not the reason he stands out so much. His fire wasn’t like regular fire, when I watched to see what he could do it just seemed like it came from a dark place inside him. That’s why I eventually rejected him, I just couldn’t bring myself to trust him." Bolin finished, he’d clearly come to the same realization that Korra had. If he was trying to get in at Future Industries he may have been after Asami.

"What color was his fire Bolin?" It was Lord Zuko who had asked. He was studying Bolin closely, it was unnerving.

"It was blue my lord, I think that’s why it gave me the sense of distrust. I’ve never seen anyone who could bend fire like that." Bolin answered the man who had once been Aang’s closest friend.

"Azula was the only one I’ve ever known who could do that." Zuko said with a pained look on his face. 

Korra was lost in thought when she heard the guards yelling. She looked where the sound was coming from, trying to figure out what the commotion was when the guard who had handed her the reports earlier came running up to the table.

"Fire Lord Izumi we are under attack!"


	4. Superiority Through All Bending

Just once Korra wanted to have a trip to another nation end without people trying to hurl things at her head. Korra could hear the impact of boulders crashing into the outside of the royal palace. Everyone at the meeting was running down the hall towards the sounds of fighting, save for Opal who had spread her wing suit and gone up to take a better look at the fighting. They reached the end of the tunnel just in time for Korra to deflect a boulder that had been about to see them off. She got her first veiw of the battle field then, seeing foes dressed in what somewhat resembled an air bender's flight suit. 

"Those are the new prototypes I've been working on." Asami exclaimed, she was in cover behind one of the pillars across from Korra. "They're meant to be paired with an air tank so that people can dive beneath the ocean. They must have someone on the inside of Future Industries, that's the only way they could have that design." That troubled Korra, she pushed it to the back of her mind for now though, there was too much in front of her to worry about for now.

"We'll deal with the leak later, right now we've got to take care of these guys." Korra shouted over the noise of another boulder crashing into a section of the palace. Opal landed beside Bolin sliding into cover. 

"I counted forty-seven enemies, a mix of Earth, Water, and Fire benders. This is way too coordinated of an attack for some rouge gang of bandits. If I had to guess I'd say they were Ex-military." Opal finished, looking to Korra for a plan. They all were at this point, including the Fire Lord.

"Iroh how far out is the army?" Korra asked hoping that she would at least be able to count on some back up should things start to take a turn for the worst. The Avatar knew that her best chance to get everyone out alive was to keep the fighting focused on her, but even for the Avatar forty-seven well trained benders would be very difficult to take down.

"Back in Republic city unfortunately, I'm away from them on leave right now." Iroh said looking down at the battlefield, his face seemed more determined than Korra had ever seen it.

"Right then it's up to us, Iroh and Bolin your with me. We're going to keep their attention on us. Asami,Opal take the Fire Lord to someplace less open than this." Korra said meeting Asami's eyes. She knew that her girlfriend would rather stay and fight with her just as Opal would with Bolin, but their fighting styles just didn't work as well in an open space like the front courtyard was. Asami knew that as well as she did.

"Alright, we'll radio Republic city and let them know what's happening here. Korra be careful, I love you." Asami pulled her in for a quick kiss before heading back down the hall with Opal and Izumi.

"I'll hold this entrance, and make sure they can't get any further into the palace." Zuko said looking right at the Avatar as though it wasn't Korra he was seeing, but his best friend Aang. "It's been far too long since I fought along side the Avatar." Korra couldn't help but smile at that, even though she lost that connection to her past lives she knew that Aang would be smiling at that too.

"Right lets do this." With that Korra, Bolin, and Iroh surged forward. She and Bolin bent chunks of earth as they ran while Iroh bent lightning at those who were trying to rush one of the other entrances to the palace that was being held by the royal guard. There was still a few members of the royal guard out in the courtyard who were holding there own as best they could. It was clear that most of them had been overwhelmed during the first surprise attack. 

Korra's mind set into the lightning sharp focus that always came over her in the midst of battle. She took in the entire scene trying to figure out a plan as she dueled with a fire bender. They launched fireball after fireball at her head, she deflected them all before launching the opposing bender into the air with her air bending. That gave her the idea she needed, if she could get all of the enemy benders off of the top level of the courtyard then Bolin could make it so that none of them could pass with lava. She knew it would work if she could just clear the platform, but how would she manage that. She didn't get the chance to finish the her thought, as a water bender grabbed her arm with a stream of water and knocked her off balance. Korra recovered quickly, she froze the water connecting the two before launching a flaming kick into the chest of the other bender.

That was it, she thought. The two dragon fountains at the sides of entrance Zuko was guarding, if she bent the water from them she could wash away all of her opponents and the top platform. 

"Cover me!" she yelled to Iroh and Bolin who fell in at her sides. She ran to the space between the two fountains, as Zuko stepped out in front of her to help the other two cover her. She could feel the current of the water and knew that this would work. She invoked the Avatar state for a moment just to give her the extra burst of power she needed to force the water to break through the stone that kept it from overflowing. Korra moved the water to lash out at any of the attackers who were still on the top platform. She made sure to leave one who was unconscious there so that they could question him later. The Avatar pushed them back as far as she could before yelling for Bolin to create a wall of lava to block them off. 

Korra finally let the water fall when she saw her attackers running back to the harbor where she was guessing they had come from in the first place. Her adrenalin was winding down as she started to feel the pain from her arm. It seemed like that water bender had gotten her better than she'd thought. The cut wasn't anything life threatening so she elected to deal with it later. 

"Guards take this prisoner to my mother's chambers and secure him." Iroh barked the orders at the guards closest to him. The other guards were ordered to spread out and make sure there was no trace of the opposing force left. "We should head to my mother's chambers as well, we'll want to interrogate the man." Korra agreed, she needed more information on why this attack had even taken place. They walked back down the hall, passing the courtyard where they had been meeting and entered a large chamber off to the side. 

Korra and Bolin were nearly knocked off their feet by their significant others embraces. Korra knew that as soon as Asami let go of her she would see the cut on her arm and curse herself for not healing it before coming to the chamber. The last thing sh wanted to do was worry Asami more than she already had.

"Your arm! Korra you're hurt!" Asami was shaking, the last time she had seen Korra in battle like this had been when Kuvira attacked so it was more than likely that she was getting flashbacks to when she thought she may have lost Korra and her father in the same day.

"I'll be ok Asami, it's not too deep. I'll take care of it just after we get some information out of this guy." She gave Asami her goofy grin trying to put her at a bit of ease. It seemed to work a little, Asami relaxed some of her muscles but remained very close to Korra. "Looks like he's waking up" Korra said nodding at the man who was now tied to a chair. 

"Wait Korra, before you talk to him you need to know what else has happened." Asami said looking right into Korra's eyes. She hadn't even considered that there maybe more happening elsewhere. Korra cursed herself for the short shortsightedness of that. "We received word from Mako that Ba Sing Se came under attack as well, luckily he managed to get Prime Minister Wu out of the capital and they are currently on their way to Zaofu." Asami finished looking clearly troubled. Korra was feeling the same, The fire nation capital and Ba Sing Se were two of the most heavily guarded cities in the entire world and this group had successfully infiltrated them both. Korra needed to know how.

"We'll head for Zaofu next then. We know they're after Wu, he may be our best bet for drawing them out." Korra said trying to wrap her head around all of this.

"Ha ha Avatar, you think its just that blithering idiot we're after? He's just one of many means to our ultimate goal." It was the man in the chair speaking now. He had a wicked grin on his face. "Ask yourself why would we attack here if we were after Wu? Come on Avatar you should be able to figure it out pretty easily." Korra wanted to hit the man but she refrained from it. The answer dawned on Korra like a tone of bricks, they were targeting non-benders so logically they would be after possibly the most well known non-bender in the world, Asami.

"What do you want with Asami?" Korra was furious at this point, she could feel the building presence of the Avatar state inside her. She wouldn't let anyone harm the woman she loved, no matter what the cost.

"Why she's the best way to get to you." The man cackled


	5. The Threat Emerges

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> This one is mostly about Mako but there is some Korrasami stuff at the end.

"Why do women have to be so confusing?" Mako asked himself as he looked out over Ba Sing Se from his apartment window. The city was beautiful at this time of day, the sun dipping down just below the wall gave everything a somewhat golden glow. The sight made him homesick for Republic city, he knew that would always be his true home. The majority of his family was still there with the exception of his earth bending cousin Tu, who had been hired on as another of Prime minister Wu's security team. Mako enjoyed working with Tu even if there were times that his cousin got on his nerves, it helped with not missing his brother as much. He'd gotten a letter from Bolin a couple of days ago that told him his little brother was now engaged. Mako couldn't be happier for them, Opal was an awesome person who treated his brother well.

Mako's own love life was all too complicated, His two ex-girlfriends were dating which he was completely ok with. They were good for each other, he just wished he hadn't lost so many yuans to Lin in that bet. Mako had his first date in years tonight and he was still trying to figure out where he went wrong. The woman he went out was an earth bender who worked at the tea shop the first general Iroh had opened during the hundred year war. He'd been in there to try and relax on his day off. The girl, who's name was Avanni, had been his server, she was cute so he decided to say screw it and asked her to dinner. They'd had a great time, or so Mako had thought.The conversation had been lively and they laughed at each others jokes, but when it came time to say good night she had panicked and said that she didn't think they would work out before running off. So here he was, trying to figure out what he'd done to mess it up.

The secure line Mako had installed n his apartment began ringing snapping him out of his train of thought. That line was only for security officers to use in emergency situations so whatever it was Mako knew that it couldn't be good. He'd was on leave right now because his bending wasn't working the way it normally did. The fire he was so used to wasn't coming like it always had, instead when he tried to do the most basic of fire bending moves all that came was lightning. He wasn't sure how this was possible though as lightning was the most advanced technique that a fire bender could use. It was hard to control and required years of training for it to be truly effective in combat, but here he was using it like any fire bender might use a normal flame. 

The fact that they were calling him knowing that he was off could only mean that something seriously wrong was happening. He ran into the bedroom where the phone was, and picked it up just in time to hear what could only have been an explosion on the other end of the line.

"Mako we need you here now!" It was his cousin on the other end of the line. "I've got Wu but we're pinned down in the throne room. There's a man here who helped me save Wu, he's claiming that he works for the Fire Lord." Tu finished as another explosion sounded in the back ground.

"Keep covered I'll be there as quickly as I can. Try and get him to the hidden sky bison pens if you can." Mako said as he hung up the phone. The sky bison pens had been a stroke of genius by Korra the last time she was in Ba Sing Se. They were meant to be a quick escape for Wu should the people get angry after the switch to a democracy from the monarchy. Mako was glad for it now, he knew that he had to get Wu out as soon as he could and figure out who it was that was attacking afterwards. Mako pushed his wardrobe out of the way exposing a trap door that lead to the palace. The tunnel had been meant as an escape route for the royal family which is why Mako bought this apartment. They had created the tunnel to the hidden pens as an offshoot of that tunnel for a reason. Mako sprinted down the mile long tunnel to arrive in the throne room just in time to see Tu and the fire nation man launch two attackers out a door. Tu raised a wall of earth to block it off.

"Mako, Mako, Mako! You need to get me out of here right now." Wu came running out of cover to grab on to Mako's arm. "They want my precious head and I'd much rather that stay attached." He couldn't believe Wu would make jokes at a time like this but that wasn't what he needed to think about right now.

"Tu get Wu to the sky bison pen, you tell me who you are and what you're doing here right now before my patients wears any thinner." He frowned at the man who simply held out a long range radio receiver and said that he was a fire nation spy working to keep order in the United Earth States.

"This is security chief Mako who am I speaking to?" Mako asked bluntly. He was getting really pissed at all the people infiltrating the palace, knowing that a lot of this was probably his fault.

"Mako? It's Asami. We're here in the fire nation capital and we're under attack as well. Korra's out dealing with the men who are trying to take the palace." Asami's voice came through the receiver strong and steady.

"Asami they're after Wu I'm getting him out of here. If they're attacking the fire nation capital chances are they want Fire lord Izumi. I'm going to take Wu to Zaofu, we should be safe there. Also if they're after political leaders they may very well be after Su." Mako said not knowing for sure if any of what he said was true.

"I'll let Korra, Bolin, and Opal know. Be careful Mako." Asami finished as the line went dead. He handed the receiver back to the fire nation spy and told him to head for the tunnel and to go to the pen. Mako wanted to make sure they weren't followed. That's when the wall Tu had made to block the door exploded.

Mako was quick off the draw,letting loose a bolt of lightning down the hall. It was met with a giant swirl of blue fire. The two collided mid air causing a small shock wave that knocked down a few of the pillars that were holding up the ceiling.

"Not bad, you must be the famous Mako." The voice was a cold one, nd more importantly one that he didn't recognize. "To be able to use lightning like that takes many years of training for most." The dust was starting to clear giving Mako his first good look at the other man. He was early to mid forties, black hair with dark amber eyes. "Before you ask all the same questions that everyone always does allow me to introduce myself, I am Osamu. I am the son of former fire princess Azula. I am the leader of the Superiority Through All Bending movement." Mako figured that was why he had the letters S.T.A.B. on the left arm of his jacket. "Give me Wu and I will have no cause to hurt you, although I suppose you may work even better for getting what I want."

"Oh and what makes you think that I'll go down so easy." Mako bent a flurry of lightning at the intimidating man. Mako saw him smirk before dodging most of the bolts, one however the man redirected into one of the pillars. That gave Mako an idea.

"You were the one who caused the explosion in that giant mecha suit were you not? All that spirit energy might be what gives you such control over lightning.The blast supercharged your chi, making you far more powerful than you were before. I would love to study the effects that has on you." The man was walking towards Mako he knew that it was now or never, He launched another bolt at Osamu who redirected it into another pillar just like Mako had hoped he would. Mako launched another two of his own into the other pillars causing the ceiling to fall blocking Osamu's path. Mako turned and ran for the tunnel, he needed to get Wu to safety, and figure out why he was just as valuable as a world leader. "Run all you like boy, I'll be seeing you again very soon." Mako her the man yell as the noise faded into the distance.

\-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Korra was pissed. How dare they threaten the woman she loved most in this world, she would never let them get their hands on Asami. She didn't care what she needed to do in order to protect her, no one would ever hurt Asami again. She had made that promise to herself after the battle with Kuvira, she had seen Asami go through so much, more than anyone should ever have to. Korra slammed her fist on the side table beside their bed just as Asami walked into their bedroom on the airship. They'd left the capital a couple hours ago knowing that time maybe very limited.

Korra felt bad because she noticed Asami flinch when she had slammed her fist. That wasn't something that usually happened to Asami. Before Korra could voice an apology to her girlfriend Asami had tackled her in a hug. She nestled her face into Korra's chest and started to quietly sob. Korra had never seen Asami like this, all she could think to do was wrap her arms around the raven haired girl and let her get it all out. They sat that way for a long time before Korra lifted Asami's face so that they were looking into each others eyes.

"It's going to be ok beautiful, I won't let anyone hurt. I'm going to keep you safe." Korra said cupping the other girls cheek and wiping away a tear with her thumb.

"I'm sorry Korra. They're trying to use me to hurt you, I'm so sorry." Asami said trying hard to hold back the tears. Korra pulled Asami close and stroked her hair. 

"None of this is your fault beautiful. You have nothing to be sorry for, it's all going to be alright." Korra could feel her rage slipping away as she held her girlfriend. "I love you Asami."

"I love you too Korra, with all my heart." The two girls laid back in their bed and let themselves drift off to sleep.

Korra began to stir what felt like a couple hours later, only she was no longer in her bed. Asami was still in her arms but it was very clear they were not still on the airship.

"It's about time you woke up, come have some tea with me." Korra knew that voice well. It was the first General Iroh, somehow they'd slipped into the spirit world.


	6. A game of Pai Sho

Korra's head felt like she'd just drank a whole bottle of cactus juice the night before. The last thing she remembered was her and Asami laying in bed, they must have passed out but that didn't explain how they could have gotten to the spirit world. She knew that the Avatar was able to meditate in but to do it while she slept and to be able to bring Asami here with her was not something she ever thought possible. Korra knew she probably wasn't going to figure this out without someone who knew the spirit world better than she did, luckily Iroh was here.

"Welcome to my tea shop Avatar Korra, would you like a cup of tea?" Iroh said, a kind and warm smile on his face. They were in what appeared to be a normal tea shop, which was a rather odd sight here in the spirit world. "I find that tea tends to calm me down when something unexpected happens." The kind old man finished, taking a sip of his own tea.

"How am I here? We were in bed and I was frustrated and the I woke up and here I am, I'm so confused." Korra was holding her head, she was in a seat next to Asami at one of the many tables in the shop. It was a bright and well decorated little shop, that reminded her of the one that Iroh had opened back in Ba Sing Se. Thinking of Ba Sing Se snapped her attention back, her confusion fading. She had a feeling that this was exactly where she needed to be, and that Iroh was the man who could help her figure out everything that had been troubling her for the past week.

"If I had to guess I would say that Raava brought you here, and Asami as well." he nodded to Korra's sleeping girlfriend. "It will most likely take her a bit longer to wake up, she's not as in tune with the spirit world as you are." Korra felt a rush of relief, she hadn't wanted to think what the surprise trip to the spirit world may have down to the girl, she knew that Raava would never put someone Korra cared about so much in danger though.

"General Iroh I think Raava may have brought me here to get advice from you." Korra said, accepting the cup from the older man. She took a sip and felt herself relax. It was a very subtle brew that she couldn't identify, it reminded her of all the best things in her life. "What is this tea? It's the most amazing tea I've ever had." Korra was stunned at how much one sip had made her feel, it was like she was feeling every warm feeling she'd ever had.

"It's a special brew that is made from a tree that is only found here, it's meant to remind people of better times. I save it for when people seem very stressed." Iroh said looking down into his cup. He seemed to be lost in his cup for a moment, Korra wondered what it was making him think of. "So Korra what is it that you wanted my advice on?"

"Well it about a week ago there was a man who was on the radio, who it turns out is actually the son of your niece, Azula." At the mention of this Iroh's face became very serious. "We don't know much about him but he maybe in a position to hurt a lot of people. His name is Osamu, and he was talking about how I may have the potential to give non-benders the power to bend. On one side I know that may very well cause more problems than it solves, but on the other I know that it would give so many people hope of a better life. I'm torn Iroh." Korra finished explaining and waited for Iroh to speak.The wise old man sat thinking for a moment before looking up at Korra.

"Korra have you ever played Pai Sho?" the old man asked, a smile coming to his face.

"Not really, a few members of the white lotus tried to teach me when I was around 9, but at that time I never had the attention span for board games." Korra said wondering what a board game could possibly have to do with her question. Still she had learned over the past years that Iroh was very good at giving advice so she didn't question it. 

"I'll teach you then, you should pick it up quick. Aang and I used to play all the time. He lifted a board to the table and instructed Korra on how to arrange her tiles. "As you can see Korra there are six kinds of tiles here, one for each of the four elements. In Pai Sho each of the four elemental tiles beats one of the other elements, they follow the Avatar cycle. Fire bests Air, Air beats Water, Water defeats Earth, and Earth snuffs out Fire. There is only one of each of the other two tiles, they are the most important in the game. The first is the Avatar tile, it can best any other tile as well as take out multiple types of tile in one move, on the reverse it can be taken out by any of the other tiles except for one, the whit lotus tile. If the Avatar tile is taken the player who lost it gets it back at the end of their next turn." Korra found this odd, it's the strongest tile in the game and yet it can be beaten by almost any other tile. The more she thought the more she realized how similar this tile was to herself. She'd fought against so many people and yet none of them ad been able to control more than one element. "The last tile is the most important one in the game, The White Lotus. It cannot take any tiles and if it gets trapped you loose the game, it cannot jump other tiles either meaning it only moves one space in any direction. There are only two ways to win Pai Sho, trap your opponents white lotus tile or move your own to the center of the board." Korra took all of this in. The white lotus was powerless by itself, however it was the driving force behind the game. It kept things moving forward, progressing to a better place. Korra realized how much that last part reminded her of Asami. She was a driving force for change in their world, she helped rebuild the city and developed new technology to make everyone's lives better. The only difference between her and the white lotus tile was that Asami was far from helpless, she was strong and more than capable of defending herself regardless of if the one threatening her was a bender or not.

"I think I understand Iroh, Pai Sho is all about balance. You must make all the elements work together in order to achieve something great." Korra was pleased that Iroh had lead her to this realization while still letting her figure it out for herself. he truly was the master of giving advice.

"Good then shall we play?" Iroh motioned to the board. "You go first Korra."

The two played for about an hour when Korra noticed that Asami was beginning to finally wake up. The older girl shook her head looking very confused.

"Korra where are we? Why is Iroh here? How is he here? Are we in the spirit world?" Asami looked as though she was about to panic when Korra kissed her.

"Yes we're in the spirit world, kind of. Raava brought our minds here because she knew that Iroh could give me advice on something that was weighing heavy on my mind." Korra told Asami, who seeing how calm Korra was, began to settle down.

"I'm glad you could join us Asami, let me get you a cup of my special tea, it will help you relax." iroh said producing another tea cup from his side of the table. He handed the cup to the raven haired girl, looking back down at the Pai Sho board. "You've played very well for your first time Korra but I think I may have just won this game." 

Korra looked down at the table and began to realize what Iroh meant. He was about three moves from trapping Korra's lotus. He moved his first tile into place and Korra saw that he had just opened an opportunity for her. She acted quickly thrusting her hands into the air triumphant.

"I can't believe it, I actually won." Korra was astounded, as were the other two that were sitting with her. When her and Asami had come to the spirit world on vacation Asami and Iroh had spent hours playing, Iroh had won every game, saying he had many many years to practice. Now here was Korra victorious on her very first try.

"I should have known this would happen, you play exactly like Aang used to." Iroh laughed. "I could never beat him either. Must have something to do with the Avatar being the bridge between the worlds. The spirits invented the game you know." Iroh laughed again, it seemed like he hadn't had his much fun in awhile. "I think you have answers that you came here for Korra." The jolly old man said with a smile. 

"I do, thank you so much Iroh." Korra walked over and gave the man a hug.

"Asami, watch over this one. She has more heart than almost anyone I've ever met." Iroh said. Asami just smiled and looked at Korra

"I will Iroh, thank you for whatever wisdom you gave her, and thank you for this tea. It makes me feel so happy." Asami finished her cup and placed it back down on the table. "Now we just need to get back to our world and save it again." Korra saw there was no tension in those words, she knew that no matter what Asami would always try to help people and drive the world in a peaceful direction. That's just who the women she loved was.


	7. Benders on an Airship

Korra's first instinct was to groan. She wasn't sure what time it was but she knew it was sometime in the morning, and mornings were evil. She and Asami had spent the night in the spirit world talking with Iroh, who had cleared up a great many things for her. It was a great night, however it seemed to Korra that having your mind forcefully brought into the spirit world didn't actually provide much rest. She knew today was going to be a long day, they were supposed to arrive in Zaofu around noon. It was then that Bolin's voice came over the loud speaker.

"You two need to get to the bridge now! We've got three S.T.A.B. airships coming up on us fast." The earth bender said in a panicked tone. A very long day Korra thought as she shook Asami awake, that girl could sleep through anything.

"Good morning sweetie, are we at Zaofu?" Asami asked with the cutest little voice. Korra had to reminded herself that they were in danger.

"I'm afraid not beautiful, we have three S.T.A.B. airships coming up on us fast. Bolin needs us up on the bridge." Korra said while reaching for clothes. She stood up and passed Asami hers, the taller girl was already alert and out of bed. They dressed quickly, Korra turned to look at Asami who was grabbing a familiar glove, the very same one she had gotten all those years ago while fighting against the Equalists. 

"Let's get up there, nobody's taking my airship without a fight." Asami said rushing out of the room, heading straight for the bridge. Korra started to follow her when she had a thought.

"Asami wait, I have an idea." Korra said looking into Asami's eyes. She pulled the girl in for a quick kiss that drove all fear from her body. "I'm going to get on top of the airship. I can try and air bend them away from us so we can escape to Zaofu." Korra turned to head for the cargo hold where her glider was. She wasn't sure if this would work but she wasn't just going to let those bastards take the air ship. She reached the hold, and grabbed her glider just as Opal came running in.

"Korra I'm coming with you, your plan has a better chance of working if we work together." The younger girl said. Korra nodded knowing she was right. The two ran to the hatch that led to the roof, Korra metal bent it open as they ran up. They leaped up to the outer level, where Korra saw how they were able to catch up so easily. There were fire benders at the backs of the enemy airship that were blasting fire out of their hands like rockets. Korra launched a blast of wind at the closest airship, knocking it slightly off course. Blasts of fire started to fly at her and Opal, trying to knock them from the airship. The flames missed the two girls, but caught the roof of the airship on fire. 

"We need to get out of here before that fire spreads." Opal said, blasting wind at another one of the airships.

"You go, I'll keep slowing them down." Korra said, bending a tornado around her legs. There was still one airship that was closing in, and the other two were recovering and moving to come after them again. Korra summoned as much wind as she could to try and knock back the pursuers. She never got the chance though as a ball of fire knocked her down the hatch. It took her a moment to realize what had just happened, she could hear boots landing on the deck above. That's when the Avatar state took over. 

The Avatar let the air around her lift her back through the hole she'd been knocked down. There were close to 10 attackers there, mostly fire benders but a few of them were carrying bottles that Korra knew would be full of water. The nearest three launched fire balls at the her that she caught and created a swirling ring of fire around her. The weather was starting to turn darker, as if reacting to Korra's mood, the rain began to pelt the roof putting out the fires from before. The Avatar took full advantage of the water, pulling it in to surround herself along side the fire. She launched Ice spikes at the closest two S.T.A.B. members, knocking them off the airship. The next two were hit in the chest with a blast of fire that Korra sent at them, sending them flying as well. She was about to launch a gust of wind at the remaining members when there was an explosion behind her. The airship started to drop from the sky quickly, the blast had taken out both of the engines.

Korra's first thought was of Asami. She bent the metal roof below herself and ran towards the bridge where she knew the brilliant girl would be. Somewhere along the way she left the Avatar state. She reached the bridge and saw Asami madly grabbing at the controls.

"Opal took Bolin and they got out already, I was just trying to give you as much time as I could." Asami looked as determined as Korra had ever seen her.

"Can you put this thing down safely?" Korra asked knowing full well how much this would hurt.

"I might be able to but I'll need you to cover me." Asami said never looking away from the controls.

"Do it. I'll get you as much time as you..." Before Korra could finish her thought there was another explosion that separated the bridge from the rest of the ship. Korra reacted without thought, she grabbed Asami and jumped out, hoping to all the spirits that she could break their fall.


	8. No Bending, No Problem

Falling out of an airship is never fun, even if your girlfriend is the Avatar. One moment Asami had been trying her hardest to hold the airship together, the next her and Korra had been falling through the air in each others arms. About half way through their fall Korra had slipped into the Avatar state to make sure that they didn't die on impact. She had used a mixture of fire and air bending to slow them enough that the fall was easily dealt with. They had landed feet first, and despite knowing that Korra would never have let them die she was thankful. Or at least until Korra had collapsed and passed out in her arms, clearly fighting in the Avatar state after a night where neither had been able to get much rest was a bit much for her. Asami could tell that Korra had gotten them out of danger for the time being but if she wasn't able to find cover for them and find a way to reconnect with Opal and Bolin they could be in real trouble.

Ok, Asami thought, first things first I need to get Korra into a place where she can recover safely. A cave would probably be her best bet, luckily they had gone down in the mountains so a cave shouldn't be too hard to find. Asami picked up Korra, struggling a little with her weight. All that muscle Korra had made the girl deceptively heavy. Asami walked towards the nearest mountain hoping that she would find something quick. After about a half hour of searching she found a cave that didn't have any signs of a skunk bear living in it. She propped Korra against one of the walls as she went to collect wood to build them a fire. When she came back she built the fire just like her survival trainer had once taught her. She took a stick and started to spin it against some of the other branches like she'd been taught. It wasn't instant like fire bending was, but with Korra still passed out she didn't really have the option of fire bending. Before long small flames started and quickly took to the dry timber that she had made the campfire out of.

Asami was proud that she had managed all this by herself. She had always prided herself on being the best that she could despite not having bending. It was that lack of bending that caused her to view the world the way she did. Everything had the potential to teach her something, nothing was too small or function less. If she had bending she knew she never would have grown to be this way, it was her lack of bending that made her who she was. 

Her stomach began to grow and she knew that she needed to find something for her and Korra to eat, and maybe leave some trail for Opal and Bolin to follow to find the cave. Asami was certain that Opal would be searching from the air for them, she needed something that Opal would be able to see from the air and bring her in this direction. The only thing she had on her was the equalist glove she'd taken all those years ago and she wasn't sure using that would be a good idea. It was her best way to defend herself, but it was probably the only thing that would be able to send out a signal large enough for Opal to see it. Asami sat down next to Korra and pulled the Water Tribe girl close. She sat weighing the pros and cons of sacrificing the glove when she felt Korra begin to stir.

"Hey beautiful." Korra said looking at Asami with those big blue eyes. It relieved her to see Korra looking so much better.

"Hey yourself, how are you feeling?" Asami asked her girlfriend. Well there was one less problem for her to solve, and if she was feeling up to it maybe Korra would be able to signal Opal.

"Like I tried to wrestle a dragon." Korra joked. It was good to see her sense of humor was still there. "Where are we?"

"A cave in the earth states mountains. After you saved us from the crash you passed out. I got us here and got the fire going. I've been working on a way to contact Opal and Bolin." Asami explained. She could tell that Korra probably wouldn't be in any state to be bending tonight.

"I could try fire bending." Korra said, trying to get up and failing. "Or maybe not." The Avatar slumped back against her shoulder. Asami could tell Korra wasn't happy that her body wasn't cooperating. It probably reminded her too much of what happened after her fight with Zaheer.

"I think we might just have to wait out the night like this and try it in the morning, neither of us is going to be in good shape if we don't get some rest." Asami replied. She pulled Korra down so that the girl's head was in her lap. "You go back to sleep now." Asami leaned down to kiss her girlfriend before leaning back and letting the exhaustion of the day whisk her off to sleep as well.


	9. Not out of the woods just yet

Chapter Nine: Not out of the woods just yet

A cave is not the most comfortable place to spend a night, Korra thought as the world faded into view. She was dimly aware that her head was in Asami's lap, it was there that she had passed out the night before. Before that her last memory was leaping from the falling bridge of the airship. They had been attacked and there was no way they could save the ship, her only course of action was to get Asami out to safety. Korra opened her eyes and took a good look at her surroundings, the fire Asami had apparently built the night before had burnt out but there was still plenty of light. Korra reasoned that it must be morning for that to be happening. She got up slowly so that she wouldn't wake Asami and walked to the mouth of the cave. The morning air was cool but refreshing. It made Korra think back to the stories that Katara had told her when she was young, all about her, Aang and the rest of the groups adventures when they were stopping the hundred years war. She stood there for a while getting lost in thought until there was a gentle touch on her shoulder.

"Good morning Korra, are you feeling better?" Asami asked, voice still a bit raspy from sleep. Korra loved that sound, the sound of the woman she loved first thing in the morning.

"Good morning beautiful, I'm feeling a lot better. I'm sorry if I scared you yesterday, my body just gave out from exhaustion." Korra replied. It bothered her to say that, even when it was just her and Asami. She had learned to respect her limits after the fight with Zaheer, and that even if she may have an immeasurable amount of power, her physical body still had limits that she needed to respect. Yesterday had just proved too much for her, she had been running off of not very restful sleep due to her impromptu trip to the spirit world to talk to Iroh. It was by a mix of adrenaline and sheer force of will that she had been able to do as much as she had.

"It's ok Korra, all that matters is that we're safe for the moment. We should probably try and hunt down some food before trying to find Opal and Bolin. There's a good chance that any signs of us that they see S.T.A.B. will also see so we should expect a fight before the day is out." Asami explained. Korra always admired how the taller girl could form a plan so quickly. Asami hadn't been awake for even five minutes and she had already figured out more of what to do than Korra had.

"I agree, we should be ready for anything. This cave will be a good place to make our stand while we wait for Opal and Bo to reach us. I'll go hunt us down some kind of food, you take a look around and see if there's anything we can use for traps to make a fight easier on us ok?" Korra asked. It was the best course of action she thought. There was no denying that Asami was the smarter of the two so she'd best be able to design counter measures for an attack.

"Right meet back here in about an hour ok?" Asami replied. They looked into each others eyes for a moment. It was a look that screamed be careful.

"In an hour. I love you Asami." Korra said before she headed out into the forest.

"I love you too Korra."

Before long Korra came across a pair of fox antelope. Korra had reservations about killing one of the creatures but she knew there wasn't much choice. She bent a small round smooth stone into the head of the closest one and it dropped immediately. She ran over as the second one ran off, Korra knew that hadn't been enough to kill the beast so she took out the small dagger that she carried for emergencies in her boot. She slit it's throat and said a silent prayer to the spirits promising that the fox antelopes sacrifice would not be in vain. She was able to lift it easily and sling it over her shoulder before heading back to the cave. She and Asami both got back at about the same time.

"Looks like you got us some food." Asami said with a loving smile. Korra had told her about the time she had spent on her own. Not all of that time had been spent in cities, a good portion had been spent under the stars as she traveled so she was often forced to hunt her own food. Korra had hated having to kill the animals but she knew it was a necessary evil.

"Yeah this guy should be able to feed us for a while, we don't know exactly how long it'll actually take us to get to Zaofu from here so it's a good idea to ration this guy out until we know for sure." Korra explained. Asami nodded in agreement as Korra went to work stripping the animal so that it was in good enough shape to be cooked. Before long they were eating roasted meat and trying to figure out the best way to signal the others.

"My plan was just to fire bend into the air for a while and hope that they saw it." Korra said as she finished her skewer. She had figured that eventually Opal had to be able to see that.

"That'll tire you out after a while though, what we need to do is make something that we can set on fire and will stay on fire." Asami replied as she set her skewer down. Korra knew that she was right like always, that raised the question of what could they light on fire the wouldn't catch the forest on fire.

"We could always just light the side of the mountain on fire, there's no missing that." Korra joked, or at least she meant it as a joke. She caught the look on Asami's face that said there might not be another way. "no we can't do that Asami, we'll set this whole forest a blaze and then what will we do?"

"I know, I know, but I'm not seeing any other solutions Korra." The taller girl said in a tone that Korra could tell was regret. There had to be some other way to find them.

"I may have just thought of a way, air benders are more in tune with the spirits than any other nation right? So what if I find Opal the same way I found Wu that time he got kidnapped by Kuvira's supporters? I might be able to send them a message through the link in theory." Korra's face had lightened right up. This could mean that they wouldn't have to alert the members of S.T.A.B. who would most certainly be out looking for them.

"It's worth a try, is there anything I can do to help out?" Asami asked looking a little troubled. Korra knew that even though Asami had loved their trip to the spirit world, she still didn't fully trust things that she couldn't fully grasp.

"Just keep an eye out, I'm not entirely sure how long this will take, or if it's even possible for that matter." Korra said trying to sound confident. She wasn't sure if she'd even be able to get a connection to Opal. When she had done it in Republic city there had been loads of ambient spirit energy, here there was just nature. She took a deep breath and put her hand on one of the cave walls. She could feel that familiar sensation of spirit energy but it wasn't as strong here. It was like a small river where as Republic city had been an ocean, and the bayan grove tree had been indescribable. She focused in on it, trying to make it allow her into it's stream, then all of the sudden she was connected to all the spirit energy in the forest. Korra took another deep breath and started to search for Opal, looking for any signs that her and Bolin were there. Eventually she was able to lock onto them, as it turned out they weren't all that far away, maybe an hours walk from the cave. She focused as hard as she could, trying to get a connection to the air bender. "Opal it's Korra, head towards the mountain there's a cave there the Asami and I are hold up in." Korra could feel the connection sever as she finished her message. She opened her eyes and let out a long sigh.

"Well I guess all we can do now is wait." Asami said. The Ceo sat down where the two had slept the day before and patted the ground beside her. Korra walked over and sat down next to her.

It was just before sunset when Opal and Bolin found the cave the two girls had hold up in. They found Korra and Asami eating more of the fox antelope that Korra had caught earlier.

"Did you save us some?" Bolin asked, his eyes looked hungry. Korra laughed and pointed to the corner where the rest of the meat was. That's when the mouth of the cave exploded trapping the four of them inside.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm really sorry about the delay between updates but they should be more frequent now as my other story is winding down. A big thanks to everyone who's been reading and does read this. I'd love feed back if you have any or just to hear what you think.


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